The Perfect Day
by Lena Locket
Summary: CG, NS Sara's pregnant and persuades Catherine to take her to a crime scene where all hell breaks lose. Not a great summary I know. But please R
1. Chapter One

Sara turned restlessly in the bed she shared with Nick, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. This was made difficult because of the fact that she is 7 months pregnant. Her hand came to rest on her swollen stomach and she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She looked at Nick, sleeping peacefully beside her and tried to imagine the pain Grissom must be feeling at the moment because of his wife, Catherine. Catherine, who had paid a high price to keep Sara and her still unborn child from being killed. Sara got out of bed and walked over to the window and gazed at the Las Vegas night sky. She observed the faint glow of light illuminating the skyline. She thought of Lindsey. 'Poor kid' she thought. Lindsey had recently been diagnosed with leukaemia and both Catherine and Grissom had struggled to stay strong for her. Sara's thoughts returned to the happenings of the previous week...  
  
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FLASHBACK....  
  
It was a beautiful night. The lights of Las Vegas stood out brightly against the starry night sky.   
  
"Hey Cath" Sara said poking her head around the break room door   
  
"Sara!" Catherine exclaimed walking swiftly across the room to embrace the younger woman, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"It gets really boring being home, by myself" Sara added in a slightly raised voice and Catherine noticed that Nick had tried to get passed the doorway un noticed  
  
"Busted!" Catherine said with a laugh as Nick continued his way down the corridor making his way to Greg's lab  
  
"Hey Cath?" Sara asked  
  
"Do I sense a favour coming on?" Catherine said with a small smile  
  
"Yes. Do you think you could talk Grissom into letting me onto the field tonight with you?"  
  
"I don't know" Catherine replied chewing absently on her bottom lip, "Would Nick be OK with it?"  
  
"To be honest with you Cath, at the moment I don't give a damn what he thinks at the moment"  
  
"Oh feisty are we? Hormones getting the best of you?" Catherine inquired, "I remember being the same when I was expecting Lindsey"   
  
Sara saw pain in the older woman's eyes as she mentioned her daughter's name  
  
"How is she?" She inquired gently  
  
"Fighting. Good spirits. Tired. You know the usual." Catherine turned and wiped her eyes before turning back to Sara. "I'll see what I can do" was all she said before leaving the room  
  
Sara stood waiting for a moment before making her way through the corridors to Grissom's office. She found Catherine letting herself out of the office a smile evident on her face.   
  
"Grab a kit" was all she said  
  
"Thank you so much Cath"  
  
"While you're doing that you can grab Warrick and Nick and tell them that Gil needs to talk to them. They'll be following us in another car"  
  
Catherine turned and walked back into her husband's office. Sara stood waiting for a few moments. She knew that seeing her daughter in pain was tearing Catherine apart. She sighed and made her way to the DNA lab. When she appeared in the doorway Warrick and Nick tried to hide from her.  
  
"Very funny guys. Grissom wants to see you. You're working a case with Catherine and myself"  
  
"No really. Why does Grissom want to see us?"  
  
At that moment Catherine appeared at the doorway.   
  
"You ready to go Sara?" she asked  
  
"Yes. It's just that these morons won't believe me that I'm going on field"  
  
The men's eyes met Catherine's and she gave them a stern look and nodded.  
  
"Are you coming Sara?" And together the two women left the room leaving the men dumfounded  
  
"Chill Sara" Catherine said as they pulled out onto the road on their way to the crime scene.  
  
"Sorry Cath" she responded, "I just hate these mood swings"  
  
"Don't worry about it" Catherine replied as they pulled up outside the house.  
  
They got out of the car and went over to where an officer was standing  
  
"Is it clear?" Catherine inquired  
  
"Yes. Go ahead" he answered  
  
They entered the house and were at once struck by the tidiness of it. Sara headed to the living room whilst Catherine walked around the house looking for signs of forced entry. She was making her way to the kitchen when she heard Sara's stifled scream. She walked back to the living room to find Sara backing across the room her hands in the air and a tall man in a balaclava with a gun.  
  
"Sara" Catherine breathed  
  
Hearing her the man clicked the safety off the gun and aimed it at Sara's abdomen  
  
"No" Catherine screamed and threw herself across the room covering Sara's body with her own as the gun went off. The man shot off another few rounds before he took off, leaving Sara on the ground.  
  
Outside the house Grissom, Nick and Warrick were talking to Brass.   
  
"What could happen?" Grissom finished but Nick didn't look convinced  
  
At that moment they heard Catherine scream followed by a shot.  
  
"Holy Shit" Warrick and Nick shouted in unison and began to make their way into the house guns drawn followed by Grissom and Brass. They arrived in the living room to see Sara seated on the couch.  
  
"Thank God your Ok" Nick said relief evident in his voice  
  
"Gil..." Grissom turned has he heard a soft voice filled with pain utter his name. He turned just in time to see Catherine fall to the ground  
  
TBC...  
  
Do you like it??????? Please Read and Review 


	2. Chapter Two

The next few minutes passed in a blur. He sat with her as Warrick tried to stem the flow of blood. She appeared to have been shot multiple times. Grissom sat with her head in his lap. Her eyes were closed.

"Sara?" she asked 

"Sara's fine, honey"

"I couldn't let him kill the baby and Sara" she struggled to take a breath, "The scene was supposed to be clear" She opened her eyes and he was met with the piercing blue stare that he had got to know so well. "Look after Lindsey for me" 

Then the paramedics arrived but it was already to late. She was gone.

END FLASHBACK...

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Sara's POV

She was gone and there's nothing anyone can do to bring her back. She has been torn away from us so cruelly and replaced by sorrow. People kept telling me to let go, that it wasn't my fault. But still the fact remains that if I hadn't begged Catherine to take me to the scene it wouldn't have happened. I keep expecting to see her smile. Hear her voice and her laughter.

Nick's POV 

Why had she let Sara persuade her to take her to the crime scene?   She gave her life to protect Sara and my child, leaving behind her child and her husband. Poor Linds. She has basically given up. Lost the will to keep fighting. We all miss Cath. How could something like this happen to her?

Warrick's POV

In my heart I know it wasn't Sara's fault. She couldn't have known that a guy was going to pull a gun on her. I miss Cath beyond belief. It's had to imagine how much someone means to you before they're gone. Grissom's taken it hard, but nowhere near as hard as Lindsey. Catherine gave her life to save an unborn child and left her (Lindsey) behind. Nothing any of us say can bring any comfort to her, and she won't speak to anyone, especially Sara, she won't even look at her. But if I was in her position I don't think I would either.

Grissom's POV

'She's gone'. I keep repeating it to myself but no matter how many times I say it, I still can't comprehend it. She was my co-worker, friend, partner, wife, and soul mate. We all miss her desperately. Especially Lindsey. She's given up. Has nothing to live for. Her way of dealing with the loss of her mum is not to talk. Sara's really torn up about it. Keeps saying that it's all her fault. We all keep telling her that it isn't but she won't listen to any of us saying, 'Lindsey thinks it is'. 

Lindsey's POV

Mummy's gone. Uncle Warrick told me. Uncle Gil was too sad to. Why did Mummy have to die? Maybe she didn't love me any more. She was shot by a bad man to keep Sara safe.  I might see Mummy soon. The doctor told me. I'm not scared about dying because I'll be with Mummy again. 

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Lindsey sat up in her hospital bed waiting patiently for the blood transfusion to finish, whilst she was writing 5 letters. She sealed the envelopes as a nurse came to tell her it was finished. She placed it amongst her belongings, to wait for the right time for them to opened. 

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TBC...

Please review or you won't get the next (and last) chapter


	3. Chapter Three

A few days later on the morning after Catherine's funeral Grissom received a phone call in the early hours of the morning. Lindsey's condition had and was continuing to deteriorate. He called Nick, Sara, Warrick and Greg, fearing the worst-case scenario. When he arrived he was met by Lindsey's nurse, Nancy. 

"Thank God you're here"

"How bad is she? Honestly" Grissom asked 

"Honestly I didn't think she'd last the time it took you to get here"

He entered the room and saw her there lying amongst the pillows, looking so innocent, he wondered how something like this could happen to something so pure. He sat down beside her bed and gazed at her face. She reminded him of an angel. He thoughts drifted to the fact that she may soon become one.

"Hey" Sara said poking her head around the door. He could see Nick, Warrick and Greg hovering anxiously in the background, "Can we come in?"

"Sure"                                                                                                                                                  

They all came in and crowded around Lindsey's bed. Sara looked at her and immediately burst into tears. 

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't asked Cath to take me to the scene then she would be here, and Lindsey wouldn't be like this" she wailed

"You know something Sara?" Warrick said, his voice's volume rising dangerously, "I'm getting sick of saying that it's not your fault. It is your fault about Cath. Is that what you want to hear? But it's not you fault about Lindsey" And with that he turned and left the room. Greg shot a look at Grissom as if asking for his approval to follow Warrick. Grissom nodded his approval and Greg sprinted down the corridor to catch up with Warrick calling, "Hey Warrick, ma-man, wait up!"

Sara composed herself, "Lindsey I'm so sorry about what happened to your Mum. I know it's my fault. Will you ever forgive me?" 

The only response she had was the heart monitor displaying a continuous line and consistent beeeeeeeeeeeeeep. She was gone. Free of the pain she had endured. Free to be with her mother. 

Later that day Gil Grissom was sorting through his stepdaughter's belongings at the hospital. He came across 5 large cream envelopes. Each had the address of one of the members of the team. One for Greg, one for Nick and Sara, one for Warrick and one for himself. The fifth envelope was addressed to 'Sara and Nick's Baby". All were addressed in Lindsey's careful handwriting. He picked up Lindsey's suitcase and the letters and left the hospital. He arrived at CSI headquarters and distributed the letters to each addressee. Each of the addressee's went to a separate part of the lab to read their letter. They said as follows:

Hey Greggo, 

You miss me? Thank you for being you in the last few months. I really appreciate that. You are always there when I need to be cheered up. I'll miss you loads

Love Lindsey

Dear Sara and Nick,

Sara, I don't think I'll ever get to tell you this, but it's not your fault about Mummy. It was just the type of person she was. She couldn't just stand there and watch you, and your baby, die. Now that you've heard that from me I hope you'll move on with your life and stop blaming yourself. I just have one favour to ask. Can you tell your baby about Mummy?

And Nick, look after Sara for me. I know she thinks it's her fault but please tell her that it isn't. I found this song very meaningful to me just after Mum died.

_So there's an angel at your shoulder,__and she is watching over you__She is fragile and small,__and she is rarely in the new__it's such a perfect view__she sees everything you do__So it's no surprise __she knows when I am in the room__So if you see that angel you can tell her this for me...__Chorus:__Angel, I know you are a friend__but all good things come to an end__so I think maybe you'll agree...__Wings are such an asset,__to an angel on the run__An essential part to play and,__the role of the guardian__But everybody knows it ain't no secret what happens__When an angel flies a little too close to the sun __So if you see that angel you can tell her this for me...__Chorus__The angel gets what the angel wants x7__Woah...__Angel I know you are a friend__but all good things come to an end__So you can leave in peace for me__or you will leave here on your knees__Angel I know you are a friend__but all good things come to an end__So you can leave in peace for me..._

Love Lindsey

Dear Warrick,

I don't think I've ever told you how much your care and support means to me. You are always there when I needed you. A light amongst the darkness. Here are the lyrics of one of my favourite songs. It pretty much sums up how I feel sometimes

Sometimes it seems that I have no place.  
And I don't know what to do, with myself.  
Night after another, I can taste the filth inside.  
And I need to reclense my soul.  
Nobody knows, nobody cares that I die, on the inside.  
Nobody sees the light that is me, as I smile on the outside.  
Nobody knows, nobody cares that I walk, on the wrong side.  
Tell me who..nobody.  
Tell me who..nobody.  
Tell me who..nobody.  
But you.  
All the friends that I've had, where are they now?  
Guess I'm far too intense to be loved.  
All the things that I hate, I hate about myself.  
And I need to reclense my soul.  
Nobody knows, nobody cares that I die, on the inside.  
Nobody sees the light that is me, as I smile on the outside.  
Nobody knows, nobody cares that I walk, on the wrong side.  
Tell me who..nobody.  
Tell me who..nobody.  
Tell me who..nobody.  
But you.  
I have nobody, but you.  
Nobody, nobody, but you.  
Nobody knows, nobody cares that I die, on the inside.  
Nobody sees the light that is me, as I smile on the outside.  
Nobody knows, nobody cares that I walk, on the wrong side.  
Nobody knows and nobody cares but you.  
Nobody knows and nobody cares but you.

Love Lindsey

Dear Uncle Gil,

You are like a father to me. You always have been, ever before you and Mummy got married. Don't cry because I'm gone but smile because I was there. 

Love Lindsey

All the CSI's were reading their letters with tears in their eyes. They were still coming to terms with losing her, but she seemed so prepared.

9 years later…

Casey Stokes was on spring vacation and had decided to clean up the attic. She wasn't exactly cleaning. Her mum, Sara, had told her that she could have her room up there, on the condition that she cleaned it out. She had it about half done and was passing boxes down to her Dad, Nick. She was about to pass down a large brown paper envelope when she noticed the label, 'Letters from Lindsey'. 

"You ok Casey" he dad called up the stairs

"Yes Dad"

"I'll go and grab us some snacks"

"Ok Dad"

She heard him leave and sat down in a cleared a floor and opened the envelope. Two cream envelopes fell into her lap. One was addressed to her parents. She opened the envelope, and read it quickly. At once questions began to form in her mind. 'Who was Lindsey?' 'What wasn't her parents fault', 'Was she the baby?' She turned her attention to the other envelope and noticed it was addressed to, 'Sara and Nick's Baby'. She opened it quickly and immediately noticed the date. It was dated as being written 9 years ago. Her curiosity got the better of her and she began read its contents. 

Dear Sara and Nick's baby,

I know that when you read this letter you won't be a baby anymore, but I don't know your name. My name is Lindsey Willows. I'm 10 years old and have leukaemia. My Mum is Catherine Willows. You probably know that she died keeping your Mum who was pregnant with you, safe. Why she did what she did, I had regrets about. I thought about how I'd have to live without her, but as it happens I'll probably be seeing here sooner than I thought. I hope Sara told you about what happened and that this didn't come as a shock to you. Below are the lyrics of a song I find very moving and I hope they will mean something to you.

_Ever closed your eyes_

_Ever stop and listen_

_Ever feel alive and there's nothing missing_

_You don't need a reason_

_Let the day go on and on_

_Let the rain fall down_

_Everywhere around you_

_Give into it now_

_Let your day surround you_

_You don't need a reason _

_Let the rain go on and on _

_Only take the time _

_From the helter skelter _

_Every day you find_

_Everything's in kilter_

_You don't need a reason_

_Let the day go on and on_

_Every summer sun_

_Every winter evening_

_Every spring to come_

_Every autumn leaving_

_You don't need a reason_

_Let it all go on and on_

Life is a wonderful thing. Live it to the full

Love Lindsey

Casey finished reading the letter and climbed down the ladder to see her parents. She found her Mum reading in the living room. She cuddled up against her. Sara glanced at what her daughter was holding in her hands. She was about to say something when Casey spoke.

"Mummy… Can you tell me about Catherine and Lindsey?

THE END

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the story. I know it probably isn't the ending everyone wanted but please review anyway. Pretty please??? 


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